


Maybe we are meant for each other

by Queen_of_Spades_277



Series: Soulmate stories [1]
Category: Free!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-29
Updated: 2016-07-14
Packaged: 2018-04-23 22:03:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4894054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queen_of_Spades_277/pseuds/Queen_of_Spades_277
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is about Sousuke finally get what he deserves</p><p>This about Rin giving Sousuke what he deserves and what he needs</p><p>This is about 4 people figuring out love</p><p>This is about Sousuke getting to be happy</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Maybe I do miss him

**Author's Note:**

> So i decided to re write this because someone commented and it made me realize that the way i was writing this wasn't the way i wanted this story to go so thank you to the person that commented

SOUSUKE

 

This morning I had woken up optimistic. I was going to go to work, maybe talk to some people and not think about how boring and tasteless my life was now. So I took my time with my shower enjoying the relief the slightly cold water was giving me, I made my favorite breakfast and ate all of it for once. I put on my cashier uniform and started to walk. But in the back of my mind something was wrong. Something just wasn’t right I guess. I felt happy and yet my heart was pounding with anxiety. I started counting how many steps I had left until I arrived to the store.

 

_One, two, three, four, five… thirty seven, thirty eight, thirty nine…_

 

328 steps, I counted 328 steps before I arrived at work and my heart calmed down. Where I work isn’t that great but it pays the bills so I guess its ok. If I was being honest with myself I would be a fire fighter but I no longer can afford paying for my studies since my parents decided I wasn’t good enough for them anymore  and I don’t really do well with people.

 

So as you can see my day was going just fine. Then I started working. I usually start by doing some inventory before I start ringing up people’s items, besides there weren’t a lot of people at the store today so what I was doing didn’t really matter to my boss.

 

I’m really good at this job but I would quit it in a second to do something a lot more interesting. I don’t really have any friends here in Tokyo, which I don’t really mind because I’m more of a solitary person.

 

“Yamazaki I’m going to need you to go to the cash register a lot of people are starting to arrive”.

 

“You got it”. So I started scanning costumer’s items. As I mentioned I was feeling pretty good today so I even talked to some people that were waiting to get there groceries. Then I figured out why I was having a bad feeling this morning.

 

_Because of course this things only happen to people like me._

 

It was maybe like 7:oo pm and my shift wasn’t even close to being  over but since I had been working for a long time my boss told me to take a break. I decided to take a dinner break so I went to the closest restaurant. The first thing I noticed was the huge calendar that was placed in the entry. It was February 2nd .

 

 _Rin’s birthday_.

 

Everything that I had been containing just overflowed. I started remembering everything. His sharp like teeth, his tears the way he said my name, our hand shake… basically everything that I loved about him.

 

I don’t even know how I got back to the store when all I wanted to do was go home. But I got there somehow and ignored my feelings because they had no right to be there.

 

_Why do I still feel like this?_

Time passed by faster than I thought and soon I was done with work.

 

I always take a long detour so I can pass by the animal shelter before I get home. There was a cat that I had my eye on for a few days so I was working extra shifts to be able to pay and take care of it.

 

The people that work at the animal shelter told me that they would keep the cat for another month so that I could adopt it.

 

The detour I take to get home is about 1 hour but it’s totally worth it because when I’m feeling really shitty like right now I just look at the sunset and think. About what I don’t have and what I do and sometimes it makes me feel better. But today it’s different. I feel like no matter what I can’t avoid my past and that the only way it’ll go away is if I confront it.

 

_I’m so lonely and scared these days._

 

So I just work extra shift after extra shift and try to distract myself. On really bad days I won’t even go home I’ll ask my boss for a very long shift that could last all day.

 

_I’ll work until I can’t feel anything, until I’m so tired that I can’t think anymore._

 

* * *

 

On Sundays, I like to go for a long run just because I don’t go to the gym anymore.

                                

_I don’t want to bump into someone I might know._

The first 15 minutes I stretch and do some jogging. Then, depending on the weather I run for about 40 minutes to 1 hour. But today I decided to take my bike and just relax. There is a forest next to the park I go to so when I take my bike for a ride I go there. It’s so beautiful. Even though it’s February the path isn’t really covered in snow so I can pedal easily. The trees look like they’re dancing and after spending time there I feel calm.

 

* * *

 

 

 Sometimes if I’m in the mood to get drunk I go to a bar. The one I go to is kind of private, not a lot of people go there.

 

Normally when I get there I just sit down get drunk and then I go home. But today I didn’t get drunk. I drank a lot that’s for but just not if enough to be completely wasted. I made a mistake obviously because I soon found myself in a fight with some other guys.

 

That was only the first. The second mistake I made was to fight back. It was three against one so of course I knew that I had no chance but I tried to fight back any which resulted in me getting pretty messed up.

 

Maybe it’s by chance or luck I don’t know but for some reason someone helped me get out of that fight. I was taken out of that bar (I was a little dizzy). I sat down on the side walk and tried to focus enough to see the person who just saved me.

 

“Who are you?”

“Let’s just say that I’m like your guardian angel”

                                                                                                                       

All I remember seeing was pink bubble gum hair and then I passed out.


	2. Maybe we are friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so i'm so so sorry for not updating i didn't have time (I was also lazy) to re write this but now i'm going to update more often. hopefully chapter 3 will be finished in the beginning of January

To be honest, Kisumi entering my life may be the best thing that’s happened to me in a long time.

 

                                                                                                        

SOUSUKE                                                                                      

 

I wake up early. Always have and probably always will. I’m not talking about waking up at six in the morning; I’m talking about waking up at three or four in the morning every day. I don’t even have an alarm clock it’s just how my body works now I guess.

 

_Or the huge amounts of coffee I have throughout the day._

 

I got rid of my alarm clock a long time ago (eight years ago). Not because I didn’t want one but because the sound makes me anxious, extremely anxious.

 

 I used to have an alarm clock that was really loud. I would always wake up in panic when I activated. My heart would race and it felt like I was having a panic attack every single time. So since then, I haven’t really wanted to use one.

 

There’s always noise or at least a little light in my bed room. I don’t handle darkness and silence very well nowadays. I think a lot when it gets too quiet, about bad things, scary things. I get so lost in my thoughts that it’s hard to come back from them sometimes. I forget where I am and completely lose connection to reality. On rough days, it’s not bad, I burry myself in my mind and fall into a state of numbness. I won’t feel anything. It’s as if a force field had been placed between my mind and the real world.

 

I can’t afford a white noise machine _I’m still saving up for my cat_ so instead, I listen to noises on my mp3 player. I only have two sounds that I can fall asleep to; heavy rain and thunder. My boss was the one who had suggested it to me. He had noticed that I hadn’t been a lot of sleep.

 

_I still don’t but now I’m used to it._

It took me quite a while before I found white noises that relaxed me but it was worth it. Now that I think about it, my room is filled with a lot of calming objects. My room is rather small so most of my things end up in storage boxes.

 

Over the past few years I’ve been collecting a variety of things that help me. I have anti stress balls, a very large number of them, and 32 in total to be exact. They’re all different shapes, sizes and colours. Some of them even glow in the dark. Yes, many of them are unused. I don't need all of them it’s just that having all of them is less worrying for me.

 

It’s been three weeks since the incident and Kisumi won’t leave me alone. I can really say that he’s been following me because he hasn’t been. He just shows up at my apartment almost every day. I have no idea why. It seriously bothered in the beginning, him constantly being there.

 

_I wasn’t used to having someone who wanted so much time with me._

Now his presence feels right, like he’s meant to be there. We’re not close yet. We still tiptoe around each other from time to time, not really saying what we really mean afraid to over step boundaries and break the fragile bond we just made. But for some reason, we started relying on each whether it’s to move on from those we want to forget or just to get through our difficult situations.

 

Today was Saturday which meant that I was going to spend the day with Kisumi at our new library. We found it by accident on one of our walks together…

 

**A week ago**

“Sousuke, let’s go on a walk together!”

 

“Why? It’s freezing cold outside”, I argued.

 

“Come on, I’ll buy you hot chocolate afterwards”, Kisumi bargained with a sing song voice.

 

“Fine”, I huffed. Kisumi makes me go on walks with him every Saturday afternoon. What’s annoying it that he always waits until it a little dark outside because he knows that I loving walking outside when the sun starts to set.

 

I’m not even talking about a short walk around the neighbourhood. No, Kisumi likes to take long two hour walks to places that don’t even have street signs because they’re most likely abandoned and that I could never find my way back home from.

 

“Exploring new places is fun”, he’d say.

 

“Oh yeah Kisumi, getting lost is one of my favourite things to do especially in the winter time at night”, I cheered with sarcasm causing him to frown. He thought that I was annoying when I tried to be sarcastic.

 

“He rolled his eyes and continued to walk making sure he didn’t look back.

 

We walked for a long time, turning right and left at random streets. My feet advanced slower and slower as time passed by. The cold wind that came with the snow that was falling didn’t help. It started to get dark. The sun couldn’t really been seen and the sky was no longer a deep orange but a dark blue.

 

“Kisumi, do you even know where we are?” I asked. We had been outside for at least two hours.

 

“We’re almost there!”

 

“Where and how far is ‘almost there’ “, I questioned slightly annoyed that he refused to look at me.

 

“Fine, stay silent”, I muttered.

 

I think that we were no longer in town. We were approaching the forest and I was starting to get a little anxious. There were no cars that passed by anymore and it felt like we were in the middle of nowhere.

 

“How are we supposed to know when we get there if it’s so dark that we can hardly see ourselves?”

 

I just wanted to go home. This place was giving a weird feeling. I didn’t know if it was good or bad but the feeling was definitely strange and Kisumi was way too calm.

 

“You’ll feel it”, he finally said.

 

“I’ll feel what Kisumi?” I was starting to lose my patience.

 

We’ve now entered the forest.  There are plenty of trees. All of them had crooked branches that were placed as if they were guarding something.

 

“We’re close”, Kisumi whispered startling me. As we continued to walk I started to feel something. A surge of energy passed through me and what I saw next amazed me. It looked like we were in an enchanted forest, everything started to come to life.

 

Sakura, blossomed Sakura trees could be seen everywhere. Hundreds of butterflies were hiding in their branches and fireflies appeared and placed themselves on the ground making a path for us. The wind felt warm yet cold at the same time.

 

_It felt like magic_

“We’re I can feel it”, I murmured in awe. Kisumi finally looked at me and smiled in response. He took my hand in his and we ran through the path the fire flies made for us.

 

The butterflies left their branches and flew around us as we ran. I pinched myself a couple of times, I feeling I had in my heart had been too good to be true.

 

We stopped running when the fireflies left us in the darkness for a few instants. We were now in front of a building. It was a three story house that looked like it had been burned down. As we got closer we started to see how damaged it really was. The roof didn’t look very solid, windows were smashed in and the house looked like it could fall apart but being here felt right, like we needed to.

 

“How did find this place”, I asked Kisumi who had been silent ever since we stopped running. His hand tightened its grip on mine and that’s when I realized that we were still holding hands.

 

“I had a dream about this place once when I was little. It was always the same dream. I would come here with four other people and play here or in the trees surrounding this house. Then, when I got older the dream stopped I couldn’t dream about this place anymore”.

 

“Ok so what changed?”

 

“Well I found you at the bar and that night I had the dream again but this time you were one of the four people that were with me. I knew the dream had to mean something and I had to try and find out what”.

 

_He had a dream about me_

“So what does the dream mean”, I asked a little flustered by the fact that he dreamt about me.

 

“I don’t know it’s just… it’s just that being here makes sense”, he said a little hesitant.

 

“Was it this damaged in your dream?”

 

“No it wasn’t. The windows were intact and had colours on them not to mention that the roof didn’t look like it could be blown away by the wind”.

 

“Well let’s fix it then”, the words tumbled out of my mouth without thinking.

 

“What?” Kisumi looked at me, shocked.

 

“A library…” I continued ignoring him.

 

“Let’s make this building into a library”, I whispered.

 

**Back to present time**

The snow hasn’t started to melt yet. It’s not the powder kind. Plenty of slippery ice hides underneath that thick layer of snow. I sighed knowing that the path to the library was long and difficult.

 

_I should really get a car_

I really don’t know why I keep letting Kisumi convince me to do things.

 

“Today is going to be so much fun”, He whispered close to my ear, causing my face to flush pink.

 

_That’s why_

It’s -15˚C, my scarf is tightly wrapped around my neck but I lost my gloves and my hands are shaking. I’m walking slowly enough to not slip on the ice, pulling my feet up at each step.

 

I’m freezing. I just lost any feeling I had in my thighs. It’s getting harder for me to walk, no rather to follow. Kisumi had been dragging me, for about 30 minutes, by the hand like a dead weight. We’re not talking which makes time go by languidly.

 

“Are you ok?” he asks startling me as I was used to our comfortable silence.

 

“I can’t feel my thighs”.

 

“The library is only 15 minutes away now. Do you think you can make it?” I nodded gently knowing that if I spoke my voice would betray me.

 

When I saw the familiar house surrounded by Sakura trees, I almost screamed with joy. The familiar feeling of energy was back ushering through me and some butterflies re appeared, like they were welcoming us back.

 

We opened the front door and entered the damaged establishment. I took off my coat and hat but I left my sweater on. There was no heating in this house so it got really cold, but thankfully a lot less cold than outside.

 

“So Kisumi, what are we doing today?” I asked. Each week Kisumi had tasks for us to complete in order to fix our library. A couple day s after we had found this place we came back and cleaned up the broken lass that covered the floors. It took us four hours to finish.

 

“Today we will visit the second floor”, he said making his way to said floor. I, on the other hand wasn’t really feeling it. There wasn’t a lot of light upstairs.

 

“Come on, Sousuke”, he said urging me to follow him with the sound of his voice.

 

“Um, I’m not sure that I want to go up there”, I said taking a step back.

 

He looked at me then, descended the staircase and put a medium sized metallic object in my hand. I observed the object that was no win my possession with confusion.

 

“It’s a flashlight, silly”, he said laughing at my bemused expression. He pushed the button that was on the object and light came; to my surprise it was very bright.

 

“Why did you bring a flashlight?” I asked.

 

“Well it gets dark upstairs and we wouldn’t have been able to see much”, he answered blushing. I smiled knowing why he really brought it. He knows I’m not comfortable in the dark.

 

“So can you come to the second floor with me now?”

 

“Yeah”

 

With Kisumi’s flashlight in hand I walked up the long flight of stairs with him until we arrived on the second floor.

 

“This floor is so huge!” he exclaimed, I nodded my head in agreement. This place was so big. The second floor alone looked like a house.

 

“Ok Sousuke, let’s split up”, he said walking in the opposite direction I had initially planned to go.

 

“Wait!” I shouted trying to get his attention, but he was already gone. That bubble gum haired idiot had left me alone.

 

“Take deep breaths Sousuke, everything will be fine”, I said to myself.

 

Empty... the second floor is almost completely empty. I’ve been searching for something interesting but I’ve found nothing. There is literally nothing to see. No couches, rugs or lamps. There are only mirrors and clocks everywhere.  The walls had burned Victorian style wallpaper. I started pacing in circles thinking about what I could do to find something. “Sousuke”, a voice whispered. My eyes widened and a pointed my flashlight in the corners of the room I was in to see if anyone was there.

 

“Who’s there?” I asked scared because logically no one was supposed to be with me right now.

 

“A friend”, the voice said, louder this time. The feeling of energy passing through me was back but this time I didn’t leave right after. It went in me. It wrapped its self around me. My body started to shake, trying to resist the unknown force that tried to control me.

 

“Relax Sousuke, relax and stop fighting it”, the voice said with a convincing tone.

 

“What’s happening to me?” I wondered out loud.

 

I no longer had control over my body. I could move but not out of my own free will. I was being pushed, no guided. With each step I took the room began to change. Objects appeared. My legs stopped in front of a wall. The wall trembled and a door arose. This place was really starting to frighten me and on top of that Kisumi had left me alone. My eyes got watery and my tears threatened to fall.

 

Cold wind pressed its self against my back. “Don’t cry Sousuke, please don’t cry” the voice pleaded. I wiped my eyes, took a step forward and opened the door that had appeared. I entered in what seemed to be an old bedroom. Again, there were mirrors and clocks but something in particular retained my interest. A medium sized photo album was placed on the bed, covered with dust, like it had been untouched for a while.  I blew away the dust and opened the album. There were pictures (of course), carefully placed in slots and some pages were dedicated to long texts that must have been added by the owners. They were written in a foreign language that I couldn’t understand.

 

The only problem was that you weren’t able to see the people in the photos. All of the pictures were blurry as if the owners didn’t want anyone to recognize them. As I was about to close the album a bracelet fell out. I picked it up and looked at it closely and saw the unusual yet familiar designs on it. It had charms hanging from it: a whale shark and other sorts of sea animals. I heard footsteps and then, everything but the bracelet vanished.

 

I was no longer in a bedroom, but in a living room type of space. The footsteps got closer and closer until I saw the person to whom they belonged to.

 

“So, did you find anything interesting?” Kisumi asked as I quickly put the bracelet in my pocket for safe keeping.

 

“Nope, I didn’t find anything”, I lied.

 

“Well I did!” his eyes glowed with excitement.

 

“We should go home soon Kisumi, its getting dark”, I said. The weather channel had announced a snow storm later and didn’t want to still be here when it happened. My shoulder was rather ok now but the cold made it worse, much worse. Sometimes the pain would be so intense that I would have trouble breathing.

 

“Aww, come on let’s just stay 15 more minutes, ok?” he asked knowing that I would agree to is request.

 

“Fine”

 

“You lied to me, you said that we were only going to spend 15 more minutes but it’s been nearly an hour Kisumi”, I was tired. The thought of going to bed made my eyes close more frequently.

 

“Sousuke”, his tone of voice was serious; no trace of amusement could be found.

 

“Yes”, I gulped; what he was about to say didn’t feel like something I was going to enjoy.

 

“I miss Makoto and Haru”, he said quietly.

 

_What about Rin?_

“And Rin” he added mirroring my thoughts. I took a deep breath and sat on the floor. I concentrated myself on the sound of the harsh wind that came through the broken windows. I closed my eyes and imagines having one of my anti stress balls in hand. I didn’t want to think about Rin, I didn’t really know Makoto but just hearing Nanase’s name made me angry.

_Breathe in, breathe out Sousuke. You’ll be fine, everything is fine_

“Sousuke”, Kisumi touched my hand and massaged it with soothing motions. My eyes opened slowly.

 

_Why bring them up now?_

“I’m sorry for bringing them up”, he continued. “I shouldn’t have said anything Sousuke, I’m really sorry”.

 

“I miss them too”, I murmured, my hands were shaking now. Bad thoughts were coming back.

 

The snow no longer fell calmly. The wind hit the front door and it was officially night time.

 

“I told you have to leave!” I shouted. “But did you listen, no!”

 

“Look, Sousuke, calm…

 

“Don’t you dare tell me to calm down, Kisumi! We’re fucking trapped in this building now because you didn’t want to leave and if things could get any worse our flashlights are almost out of battery.

 

I was panting. The snow was starting to accumulate in front of the door. We were trapped. And if we weren’t it was way too cold to try and leave. The temperature just kept dropping and dropping. I clenched my fists to stop myself from hitting the damaged walls. I was so angry and scared. The light of the flashlights were flickering on and off. The fear was eating at me. All I could do was watch as the flash lights’ battery went leaving us in the dark.

 

It’s freezing cold in here. There was no heating, no light and for me no hope. I didn’t know for long we would be stuck here. The only noise I could hear was the sound of my erratic breathing.

 

I sat alone in a corner, my arms around my body as my only protection.

 

_Maybe I’ll die here_

 

What I life I’ve lived. “24 years old, single, no friends.

 

_Isn’t that a way to die happy?_

The only bright side was that no one would notice if I was gone. It wouldn’t make a difference. I closed my eyes once again.

 

Several minutes passed. I was about to fall asleep when a hand hit my head. It was Kisumi.

 

_Of course it was Kisumi_

 The light of moon showed itself. I was able to see my surroundings a little bit better but I was still frightened.

 

“Sousuke I found a candle” he whispered. I immediately got up. I took the matches he had in his hands to light up the candle. The light the candle gave us was faint but better than nothing.

 

He looked at me with a smile that made me feel weird. Kisumi had been acting strange lately. He always seemed to have exactly what I needed at the right time. At first it was nice, but now? It felt like he was hiding something.

 

“I also have a blanket” he said, then proceed to wrap said blanket around us. It was comfortable and cozy but I still wanted to go home.

 

Kisumi put his head on my shoulder and tapped on my cheek. “Sousuke, are you still mad at me?”

 

“No”, I blushed and turned my head. He chuckled. “Are you sure?”

 

“It depends how long that half-finished candle lasts”.

 

To pass time we asked each other random questions. I was actually stating to relax until he started asking personal ones.

 

“Do you like working as a cashier?”

 

“Not really”, I replied

 

_Of course I didn’t like working as a cashier. I hate spending my days scanning customers’ items and hating myself for envying them to be able to afford such things, having to do inventory every day because my boss didn’t want to._

“Then why is that your job then?” he wondered, a little as to why I would work somewhere I didn’t like.

 

“He scoots a little closer to me; his hands are now able to touch my hands and his eyes on locked on mine. Like he knows what I’m about to say and how much it pains me to say it.

 

_It’s like he’s using our proximity to comfort me_

“I can’t really work anywhere else and it pays the bills”, I said softly.

 

“Why?” he insisted

 

“Because I didn’t finish university and my parents dropped me and I couldn’t get a scholarship. And in case you didn’t notice most jobs require university studies and I don’t have a dream career anymore anyway.”

 

“Oh, well don’t you have any close friends you can rely on?” he asked.

 

“I um... I-I… don’t have any friends”

 

We’re too close, physically too close. He’s the one who closed the small distance between us. His arms wrapped around me in a consoling embrace. I moved my head so that it was in the crook of his neck. I took deep breaths letting his smell calm me down. There’s a snow storm outside, the heating in the library doesn’t work but Kisumi is so warm.

 

_Too warm_

I’m clinging to him, like he’s the only one keeping me afloat. I was scared that if I let go he would leave.  He tightened his hold on me, pulling me even closer. I could hear his heart beat, calm and steady in complete contrast with mine that was beating way too fast.

 

“Sousuke we’re going to be fine”.

 

“Why, why are you being so nice with me?” I asked my voice barely above a whisper.

 

“Because I’m your friend and I want you to make you happy Sousuke”.

 

“Are you serious?”

 

“Yeah, I am”

 

After that everything that happened later was blurry. I vaguely remember us being to go home and getting in bed but what I remembered the most was walking up and having a certain someone's arms still around me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and it would be awesome if you commented


	3. Maybe this Valentine's Day thing isn't so bad (cause i'm with you)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just Kisumi&Sousuke being adorable as usual
> 
> (The cat is a tortoiseshell cat by the way in case it's not written)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry for waiting for like 7 months to upload this. A lot has happened and i was either busy with school or just too sad to type this in. So i'm finally doing now at 2:04 am (I'm typing it in my computer) i'm so sorry but now i'm here any it'll be hard but i will try to not suck at updating. Honestly at one point i just wanted to stop writing this but i'm happy that i didn't. But like it'S hard for me to write longer chapters you know so it'S going to take time for me to write each chapter cause they will be at least 3000 words instead of 1000 words like last time

**Authors note : So i wanted to put songs for each chapter not because they necessarily go with the chapter in question but because i listened to them while writing these chapters.**

**Songs for chapter 3:**

**Eden - Wake up**

**Johnny rain - Harveston Lake**

 

** **

 

 

SOUSUKE

The concept of love was still such a mystery to me. Why did some need it? Why was it necessary? I just didn’t understand. Love and I never had a good relationship anyway. Each time I thought I had it, it slipped through my fingers and left. Love seemed to be everywhere and yet it avoided as if I had the plague. It didn’t matter what kind of love it was: familial, romantic, friendly… Love just never stayed by my side. Everyone I ever loved left when things got serious or difficult. I should’ve listened to my mother when I was younger.

 

She used to tell me that love was a very dangerous game and that the person who loves more always lost. “It’s like a craving to some people”, she would whisper before I would fall asleep. “No it’s like a fire, it’ll burn you just a little, warning you of it’s beautiful but destructive nature, then before you know it, you’re trapped… surrounded by the flames that can’t wait to swallow you whole and leave nothing left.”

 

My mother is and always will be a cold woman. She didn’t have time to waste on useless matters or useless people. She’s very straight-forward and her harsh words can cut deeper than you could ever imagine. My father and her are still in the toxic marriage their parents had arranged.  They never spoke to each other unless it was for work. There were never any “Welcome home dear” or “have a good day honey!” only contracts and late nights at their respective work places to avoid talking to each other anymore than needed.  

* * *

 

KISUMI

_Beep Beep Beep!_

I was already awake when my alarm rung. My sheets were nicely folded and I had opened my blinds. I wasn’t fully aware of my surroundings so yet so when my alarm rang I welcomed the aggressive sound with joy. I took a black marker from my bedroom and made my way to my calendar. I happily checked today’s date. February 14th, Valentine’s Day. I quickly engulfed a granola bar and went into my bathroom. I opened one of my cabinets and immediately found what I was looking for, shower gel. Not just any shower gel may I precise chocolate scented shower gel. I would normally shower for 30 minutes or so but too many things needed to be done today. I was in a rush. Why? Because I needed to prepare for my first Valentine’s day with Sousuke.

 

I had loved Valentine’s day ever since I was a child. Seeing my mother smile and blush as my father made her a fancy dinner and gave her chocolates had always made me warm inside. I had always wanted to have a special person or special people to spoil and love.

 

I was determined to make today Sousuke’s best Valentine’s Day ever!

 

Despite all the preparations I had to finish for today I still took my time to choose something good to wear. I wanted Sousuke to see that I put an effort into looking presentable. I then put on a long black coat and headed out. I got into my car and for the first time I knew that Sousuke would still be sleeping. The drive from my house to his apartment is a good 30 minutes minus traffic. Considering the fact that I would almost take my sweet time walking all the way to his place, spending 30 minutes in my car didn’t bother me.

* * *

 

I’m always cautious when going to Sousuke’s neighborhood. It’s not a bad one but I’ve seen some suspicious groups of people at night lurking about. Sousuke had a bad habit of not really paying attention to those kinds of things. He often drifts off when bored or when he’s having a hard time. I’m really happy that I found him again. We used to be kind of close when we were little. I remember the soft smiles that appear on his face when he thought no one was looking. Sousuke has always had a pretty hard time. Whether it was because e of his shoulder or his parents and yet he was so kind to people. Behind all that muscle and sharp teal gaze Sousuke was a softy and tended to get hurt by the people he cherished the most.

* * *

 

SOUSUKE

Today I was woken up by the sound of someone (probably Kisumi) banging on my bedroom door. If it was any other day it wouldn’t have bothered me. But today was Valentine’s Day. That “holiday” had always been a huge disappointment for me. Every year, I watched people buying expensive chocolates or flowers for their significant others as I wondered when I would have the chance to do the same. So no I did not enjoy that “holiday”.

 

 I guess that Kisumi got tired of waiting for me to open the door myself so he just let himself into my bedroom.

 

“Good morning Sousuke”, he announced happily.

 

Of course Kisumi was the type of person to love Valentine’s Day. His every move just screamed hyperactive and his eyes were practically glowing with excitement.

 

“It’s an exciting day today!” he shouted not caring about my poor ears that were sensitive in the morning.

 

“And why would that be?” I asked coyly knowing that he would mention Valentine’s Day.

 

“Well today is the first day that I’m early instead of showing up late at your apartment!”

 

I looked at him with my eyebrows raised.

 

_He had to be hiding something_

Kisumi wouldn’t, no couldn’t forget about Valentine’s Day. I remember when we were kids the happiness he had when the teachers would give us Valentine’s Day activities to do. Like making cards, he was fiercely competitive about it. His card would always be the big pink one with a little too much red and pink glitter.

 

He would buzz with excitement and spend the whole week talking about what he had planned for his family. During those days he was happy, genuinely happy.

 

“Sousuke! Look at the card I made for my mom, isn’t it beautiful?” he would ask me as we made the cards”. To which I would reassure him that yes his card was very beautiful.

 

The gifts were never those stereotypical 3rd grade art projects that parents pretended to enjoy for the sake of their children. When Kisumi made art, it was breath taking. Even when he was younger I could feel the emotion he was trying to show with his work whether it was a simple clay vase or a watercolor painting.

 

So I couldn’t believe that Kisumi Shigino forgot that today was Valentine’s Day His favourite day after his birthday. I looked at him suspicious. What if he was just pretending to not know what day it was because he was planning something? The question I asked myself was why though6 Why did he feel the need to plan something when his family wasn’t here?

 

“Okay then…”

 

“Well get ready so I can accompany you to work”, he commanded.

 

“Alright, Alright”

 

Besides Valentine’s Day, today was a pretty big day for me. Paycheck day. I always waited for that time with impatience. Getting money in my bank account was always a big sense of relief for me.

_That I wasn’t going to end up on the streets._

 

I was so excited because today, after months and months of saving up money, working enough extra shifts to make me pass out, I finally had enough for my cat. The cat I had my eye on had already all of his requirement shots so all I needed to buy was his collar, cage, food and food bowl.

 

For the first time, I couldn’t wait to get to work, so Kisumi arriving early today definitely put me in a good mood.

 

Going into my shower I put the water on one of the colder settings so that I could really wake up. I know that the cold wasn’t recommended for my shoulder but I barely had any sleep and I needed to stay awake today.

 

After 20 minutes I was done showering and I put my clothes on. I then went to the kitchen only to find that Kisumi had made me a big breakfast. There he was sitting there, that signature smile he used when he was about to convince me to do something that I didn’t feel like doing.

 

“So what’s with the five star breakfast?” I asked as I sat down next to him.

 

“I’ve never actually seen you eat normal sized breakfast t Sousuke” he said casually but observing me as I tensed up. It’s not my fault that I don’t have time for things like eating.

 

_It’s not like I look ill yet_

“I’m fine Kisumi; I’m just really busy so I don’t really have a lot of time to eat in the morning that’s all.” I said while laughing nervously.

 

“Very well but today you do have time so eat up Sousuke” he ordered. I sighed as I took my fork in hand and played with the pancakes in my plate. Without realizing, my eyes had closed as I brought the fork my lips and the flavours of the pancakes burst in my mouth. I knew that Kisumi was good at well pretty much everything he did but I don’t know that his cooking would reanimate my poor soul.

 

“It’s very tasty, thank you” I said in between bites.

 

“You’re welcome”, he responded with satisfaction.

* * *

 

I finished my breakfast in a hurry so that I could get to work. I was going to do the dishes but Kisumi said that he would do them later while I was at work. So I put on my coat, scarf and boots and we head out.

 

The road to work was always short and simple. It didn’t matter that the concrete was covered in slippery ice or that it rained yesterday so the snow was all mushy and grey. It hardly takes any time to walk all the way there. Kisumi didn’t talk to me (for once) so I listened to some music on my mp3 player. My head swayed side to side to the beat of the sing drowning by Eden, as we arrived at the grocery store.

 

“Well see you later Sousuke”

 

“Yeah later”

* * *

 

I immediately searched for my boss. I didn’t actually come so that I could work I only cam to pick up my pay check. I went to the employees “lounge” (in reality it’s just an old stockroom) expecting to find my boss, but no he wasn’t there.

 

“Has anyone seen our boss?” I asked some of my coworkers

 

“Yeah he’s near the cash register 5, actually he’s looking for you”.

 

“Okay thank you Mei”. I stepped out of the old stockroom in a hurry. I was too hyper today but I couldn’t help it. I was getting something I had wanted for quite a while. It wasn’t just that but now I was going to have a companion. Someone I could spend time with. I know that it’s just a cat but getting my tortoiseshell cat from that store was very important to me.

 

I walked by the cash registers with excitement. I was getting closer and closer to getting my cat. The other cashiers looked at me with confusion. It was to be expected. I hadn’t taken the time to get to know anyone at work. This place was just another way of distracting me and of course it pays my bills. So my other coworkers must of found it quite strange that for the first time in 2 years there was a little skip in my step and that for the first time I didn’t look empty and hollow inside.

* * *

 

My boss looked happy to see me, a little too happy and that should’ve warned me. Then he asked for a favour and alarm signals appeared in my head. I didn’t have enough patience today to do the inventory of the store again. I wasn’t in the mood for putting labels on all the new stock that just came in. But instead of voicing my desire of getting my paycheck and leaving I put on my usual poker face and asked “So why did you need to see me?”

 

Before answering he put his hands together and made praying motions like he always does right before he asks me for a favour or gives me a difficult task to complete.

 

“Yamazaki, I have to ask you for a favour” he said with that low convincing tone he uses to convince our customers to purchase more than what they actually need or want. I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes, wanting to show my unwillingness with the current situation.

 

“Let me guess… You need me to do inventory… again”.

 

“No, I need you to go pick up more boxes of chocolates from our supplier. They were supposed to deliver it to us yesterday but didn’t have the time.

 

“But isn’t our supplier on the other side of town” I asked

 

“Yes” he said pleading with me. Of fucking course he would ask me to go get something on the other side of town on my day off.

 

“Ok fine” I sighed.

 

_Getting my paycheck would have to wait until later_

“Thank you so much Yamazaki!”

 

I was about to leave when he stopped me.

 

“Here are the keys to our delivery car, Yamazaki. Oh… and you better leave before there’s a lot of traffic.

 

“Will do boss”. And with all of that said I went into the parking lot, got into the truck and started my journey toward sour supplier.

 

KISUMI

 

I was continuously pacing around with nervousness. I was waiting for an important text message from Sousuke’s boss. If everything went according to plan Sousuke would already be on his way to the other side of town. I was stressed out. I couldn’t start anything until I got a text from Sousuke’s boss. Luckily, while I was doing the dishes (because I promised Sousuke that I would do them) I got the text message. I rinsed the rest of the dishes before heading out to continue my plans for today.

* * *

 

“Sorry sir, we don’t have that kind of sea animal in plushies.”

 

“But your sign says that you have all sorts of sea animals!”

 

“Sir I’m going to have to ask you to leave”. I didn’t want to argue any further so I left the toy store that had horrible customer service and searched for another one. But to my surprise there were no toy stores that had what I was looking for.

 

“There are 32 toy stores here and not one of them has what I need! I screamed. Planning this valentine’s day was going to be a lot harder than I thought.

* * *

 

SOUSUKE

I wasn’t driving fast but let’s just say that putting a little more pressure on the gas pedal would change that. It has been a little more than two hours since I left the grocery store and I was nowhere near our chocolate supplier.

 

As time passed more cars added themselves on the road. I couldn’t get stuck in traffic or else my plans would be ruined. None of this would’ve happened if it wasn’t Valentine’s Day, that horrible holiday.

 

I was about to honk at another car for almost crashing into me when I noticed that I was almost out of gas.

 

I kept driving a little only a little slower to not run out of gas and tried to look for a gas station. I still had an hour before I arrived to my destination. My patience towards the whole situation was wearing thin. I turned on the radio to try and relax before I started stressing out.

 

After a few minutes passed by, I decided to pull over and just walk to the nearest gas station.

 

There was nothing for miles. It was like everyone decided to only use their cars and not walk through the streets. But I kept walking telling myself to not give up. I was going to get my paycheck today I just had to.

* * *

 

I felt some water drip on my face. First, it was just a drop or two then five and finally it just started raining. Good luck seemed to be on my side today because shortly after that I found a gas station. I estimated roughly a ten mile distance between my car and the gas station so I quickly ran back to my car and went back to the station.

 

From that moment on, everything just fell into place. I’m not saying that it would be easy because I still had to drive for another hour but I felt like my bad day was clearing up.

* * *

 

After filling the tank with gas I decided that I deserved a little break and went in search for a coffee shop to refuel. So I walked a couple blocks in what I assumed was in an old neighbourhood due to the many antique shops that could be seen everywhere. I was so concentrating on a finding a stereotypical looking coffee shop that I almost missed the old antique shop that said Fresh coffee. A little bell rand as I entered the shop and an old lady greeted me.

 

“Ah you’re finally here” she said as if she had known me her entire life.

 

“Um I’d like to say the same but I don’t know you”.

 

She laughed softly and took my arm guiding me to the back of her shop.

 

“I don’t know you personally but I do know the people who owned the bracelets before you” she explained. Before I could even ask her what she was talking about A warm sensation came from my wrist. I looked down and remembered the piece of jewellery that I had found a while ago.

 

_But how could she know about that?_

 

 Her gaze became gentle as she watched me look at “my” bracelet.

 

“But how… how did you know…” I tried to say.

 

“You’re not ready for the reason just yet”, she said calmly. She made me sit down and have a chat with her. She gave me such a soothing feeling.

 

_Like a mom would_

We talked for at least 30 minutes before she handed me a little box

 

“Once you find the reason the box will open but until then don’t let anyone know about this and the other two items and guard them with your life” she stated.

 

I nodded my head and left the shop thanking her for the chat and the coffee on my way out.

* * *

 

I finally got the chocolates from our supplier and made my way back to grocery store

 

I parked the truck in the parking lot and let my coworkers get the product out of the truck. I enter the grocery with a small smile on my face when I saw t=my boss waving at me to come over. I practically ran over to my boss and I was about to ask him for my paycheck before noticing his sullen expression.

 

“I’m sorry Yamazaki”, he said seriously for the first time. I panicked. My boss liked to joke around and act childish but never has he ever been so serious with anyone.

 

“Why are you sorry?” I asked worried about what he could say. “What happened?”

 

“Unfortunately due to low income the store has been receiving lately I had to reduce your pay check he said calmly avoiding my eyes.

 

I was livid, furious actually no, no words could describe how mad I was feeling at that moment. I was the best employee at that damn grocery store. I always worked over time without any complaints and even took over anyone’s shift if they asked me and out of everyone he decides to reduce **my** paycheck. If looks could kill my boss would be dead already on the ground but I didn’t express my anger. I silently accepted the situation because I was scared of letting out too big of an outburst that could have gotten me fired from my job. The only job I had managed to keep.

 

“It’s okay boss, shit happens”, I said before quickly leaving. My bad luck just seemed to follow me everywhere. I wasted a whole day and I was hopeful and excited because I was finally going to get my cat. But now I don’t even have enough money to get him.

 

The worst part is that the rain was pouring even harder than in the beginning of this afternoon. I walked faster opting for the short way back home for once since there was no reason for me to go near the pet shelter. Soon I was running again, not wanting the cold harsh drops of rain to cause even more damage to my shoulder.

 

Before I know it I was in front of my door, putting my keys into the locket to enter. There were some noises that I heard from the other side of the door. For once the idea of Kisumi welcoming me back home relieved me.

 

I opened my front door and as I expected Kisumi welcomed me home.

 

“Welcome home Sou!” he happily shouted. Before I could take off my jacket he quickly approached, noticing the dark expression on my face and wasting no time he took me in his arms, warming me up.

 

“Happy Valentine’s Day Sousuke”, he finally whispered as he let me go and smiled. A small smile of my own etched its self on my lips as I looked at him.

 

_Staying in a bad mood in his presence was truly impossible._

“Happy Valentine’s Day to you too Kisumi” I said unable to stop my expression from softening. He on the other hand had a playful express that didn’t understand.

 

“Why are you smiling at me like that?” I asked

 

“Well I know that you don’t usually celebrate this holiday but I got you a present!”

 

“What kind of present?” I asked a little worried about what he could have gotten me.

 

“Tadaa!” he shouted as he handed me a huge whale shark plushie. My eyes widened in shock not only because the plushie was almost as tall as me but because of how much it resembled one of the sea animals on “my” bracelet.

 

“How did you find this?” I asked still in shock.

 

“I have no idea it was like it appeared magically” he said while smiling with excitement.

 

“Do you like it Sou?”

 

“I was till frozen with shock that all I could do was nod before he took me back into his arms.

 

He laughed and tightened his hold on me.

 

“But that’s not all of the presents” he announced. I looked at him with curiosity. What other present could he possibly have that could top this huge-almost-human-like whale shark plush.

 

“Close your eyes and put your hands in front of your body” he commanded. In normal circumstances I wouldn’t have let him tell me what to do but I was way too curious so I did what he asked.

 

“Okay now what?” I asked

 

**Meow**

“Kisumi what is that?!”

 

Instead of answering me he put a medium sized fur ball in my hands.

 

“You can open your eyes now” he said obviously very proud of his surprise. I opened my eyes and saw a cat…

 

Not just any cat but the one I had been saving up for. The cat looked at me and began purring as I pet him. I would never admit it but at that moment I was shaking a little bit.

 

“Thank you so much Kisumi”, I whispered not letting my eyes wander away from the cat in my hands.

 

“You’re welcome Sousuke”

 

“No seriously this is probably the best Valentine’s Day I’ve ever had”.

 

“Mission accomplished”, he whispered grinning like mad.

 

I guess Valentine’s Day isn’t that bad when you’ve got a friend like this bubble gum haired idiot.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much if you're still reading this *bless you and all of your family members*
> 
> (Yes i am well aware that there are spelling mistakes in some places i will correct everything once it's done thank you for your patience.)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading :)


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